Duck attacked by eagle, need help

[triforcemack]

howdy, my duck greta has been attacked by an eagle. her throat was torn, but her esophagus and windpipe are intact, exposed but intact. I am trying to save the duck if at all possible. i was thinking of suturing her up, but im not sure if that is the best call.

we have already given her a short bath, brought her inside, and applied anti-microbial spray to the wound. she is in a kennel, with electrolyte water and a small amount of food. we intend to swap out her pad every day.

we do not have a vet in our town. nearest is 90 minutes away at least, through the mountains, and we arent sure the duck would be keen on a drive in her condition.

thanks for any help.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I am so sorry your poor girl. I am not sure what would be the best course of action. It's a miracle she is still alive and her injuries aren't worse. Is there even enough skin to close up the wound? We really need a vet and I am not sure we have one on BYC. It's good you have her inside where you can keep her clean and dry and treat her wound. Lets see if we can get someone more experienced with this type of wound to reply.
@casportpony
@Eggcessive
Do either of you know what the best course of action would be on a wound like this?

 

[Jenbirdee]

i really don’t know for sure either but I do remember reading to not close up wounds so that they can heal from the inside out, and to keep the wounds moist with a lot of antibacterial ointment ( not the painrelief kind) I also remember reading to first clean the wound by flushing with something like a chlorhexidine solution . i will also tag @Wyorp Rock

 

[triforcemack]

I am so sorry your poor girl. I am not sure what would be the best course of action. It's a miracle she is still alive and her injuries aren't worse. Is there even enough skin to close up the wound? We really need a vet and I am not sure we have one on BYC. It's good you have her inside where you can keep her clean and dry and treat her wound. Lets see if we can get someone more experienced with this type of wound to reply.
@casportpony
@Eggcessive
Do either of you know what the best course of action would be on a wound like this?

i really don’t know for sure either but I do remember reading to not close up wounds so that they can heal from the inside out, and to keep the wounds moist with a lot of antibacterial ointment ( not the painrelief kind) I also remember reading to first clean the wound by flushing with something like a chlorhexidine solution . i will also tag @Wyorp Rock

thanks a ton for replying. she has been thru a lot. i will put bacitracin on it in the morning. its 4 am here in alaska, and i would prefer if she rested for a while longer. i woke her up at about 330am, and she immediately ate some food. although she seems a bit reluctant to drink the electrolyte water. we had given her a drop of childs motrin so we could wash her, and i could tell she was missing it.

anyhow. i am just worried, and frankly need to know if she is worth saving, or if i should put her down before my family gets any more emotionally involved in her possible passing. i will try to take better pictures in the morning, but the explanation is more than enough. im not keen on posting graphic photos. apologies if this seems a bit harsh, but at the end of the day, a bird is a bird. and i hate to put her down.

thanks to anyone who can help, i care a lot about this bird. but if it comes to it. well, ill be the one to do it, as much as it hurts. the rest of the family isnt too accustomed to this sort of thing.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I've seen some miraculous recoveries on here. So I wouldn't give up on her yet. Main thing other than waiting to see if this needs to be sewed up is to keep infection out. If she ate some that is a good sign..
I was wondering where you were with snow still on the ground in Alaska that makes perfect sense. lol

 

[OneEggToRuleThemAll]

I'm sorry about your duck. Poor thing. I hope she makes it. <3

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Sorry about your duck.

Some photos from a few different angles would be a good idea.

I would clean/flush the wound with saline, chlorhexidine or povidone iodine. Apply triple antibiotic ointment or the bacitracin to the wound.
No stitching. Care for the wound daily. If she gets it dirty or the wound begins to have an odor, reclean/flush with one of the flushing agents above (Chlorhexidine is my preference).

It will take time for this to close back over, so just keep up with tending to it.

Do you happen to have any antibiotics on hand just in case? Usually if the wound is cleaned well and tended to daily, medication is not necessary.

 

[triforcemack]

Sorry about your duck.

Some photos from a few different angles would be a good idea.

I would clean/flush the wound with saline, chlorhexidine or povidone iodine. Apply triple antibiotic ointment or the bacitracin to the wound.
No stitching. Care for the wound daily. If she gets it dirty or the wound begins to have an odor, reclean/flush with one of the flushing agents above (Chlorhexidine is my preference).

It will take time for this to close back over, so just keep up with tending to it.

Do you happen to have any antibiotics on hand just in case? Usually if the wound is cleaned well and tended to daily, medication is not necessary.

i have bacitracin, but not much else. need to pick up more if im going to bandage her for a week. i will take pictures before we bandage her for reference. she seems to be doing okay. i think she is lonely. but the childrens motrin helped her sleep, i could tell that much at least.

thanks again for the reply.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I don't think I see @Wyrop Rock saying you need to bandage just keep the wound dressed with Bacitracin. You could put a mirror in with her so she can see herself, safely attach it some how. So she doesn't knock it over on herself.

 

[triforcemack]

we managed to bandage her up with some bacitracin and gauze. im just worried about her eating and drinking. she is in a kennel with an electric blanket on top to keep her warm, but not hot. with water and food. tomorrow before i take off the bandage and clean the wound, i am gonna let her see the other ducks through the kennel. i am hoping it will up her spirits.

i got some much better photos.